This disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine component, such as a knife edge seal for a compressor or turbine rotor.
Gas turbine engines typically include a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section. During operation, air is pressurized in the compressor section (typically including a fan) and is mixed with fuel and burned in the combustor section to generate hot combustion gases. The hot combustion gases are communicated through the turbine section, which extracts energy from the hot combustion gases to drive the compressor section and other gas turbine engine loads.
Knife edge seals may be provided within the engine to prevent high pressure air from mixing with low pressure air and/or leaking, and improve engine efficiency. For example, knife edge seals may be present on compressor and/or turbine rotors to prevent the higher pressure gases of one stage from leaking to a lower pressure stage or location of the compressor and/or turbine section where these gases are undesired.
Knife edge seals may develop cracks which may propagate into the part to which they are integral, forcing replacement of the part. These cracks may also decrease sealing efficiency.